Moroccan Folklore
Moroccan folklore expresses
and enhances everyday life
of which it is an integral
part. Although loyal to its
forms of expression for
generations, it is being
continually enriched by
popular imagination, under
the influence of new events
on the national, tribal or
individual levels.
Moroccan folklore is
extremely diverse. It
varies not only from one
area to another but each
tribe, nomadic or
sedentary, has its own
repertory, the extent and
wealth of which will
surprise the layman.
Besides the exotic,
picturesque, colorful or
romantic aspects of the
setting, folk dancers form
an ensemble of traditions,
a world of symbols which
are undecipherable today.
MARRAKECH
FOLKLORE
FESTIVAL
The visitor to the
Marrakech Festival that
many treasures remain
hidden in the Moroccan
country-side. Thanks to the
festival, one discovers the
people of legendary times.
Organized in the ruins of
the El Badi Palace, every
year at the beginning of
June, the show is
one of the most successful
staged in Morocco. The
ancient walls are brought
to life by the skillful use
of lighting which also
plays on the shimmering
costumes of the dancers and
gives a new dimension to
the vast Saadian structure.
The stage is set beside a
large pool of still water.
On this island of light,
the troupes follow each
other in song and rhythm.
Here they are:
THE AWASH
The dance comes from the
High Atlas valleys in the
Ouarzazate area. A circle
of women in multicolored
robes stands motionless. In
the center, men sit around
a fire, each of them with a
"bendir" (a circular wooden
frame with a hide stretched
over it). A piercing cry
breaks the silence. It is a
shout more than a song. All
the drums beat. The song of
the men begins, mounting
skyward. The women reply.
Shoulder to shoulder, they
sway rhythmically and
slowly. The rhythm gets
faster and faster until the
finale.
THE OUAIS
Set to very ancient music,
in which is easy to
perceive Middle Eastern
accents, this dance is like
a ballet.
The orchestra comprises a
one-stringed fiddle, or
"rbab soussi", and a
certain number of
"guembris" which are small
mandolins with three
strings sometimes made with
a turtle shell. The rhythm
is provided by a beater who
strikes a piece of cast
iron lying on the ground.
The dancers add to the
music with small copper
cymbals attached to their
fingers. All the dancers
wear city dress: a colored
"kaftan", a muslin "dfina",
an embroidered silk belt, a
cord decorated with
spangles woven around the
head. The dance is graceful
and comprises several
steps. Couplets alternate
with the step to make an
uncommonly delicate
spectacle.
THE TISSINT
South of Agadir, men and
women, entirely garbed in
indigo-blue, perform a
dance which resembles a
religious rite.
Perhaps it is an ancient
rite. The dagger dance is
clearly symbolic. It is
part of marriage
ceremonies. Men and women
dance to a rhythm that
becomes more rapid. A young
girl and boy leave
the circle to do a duet.
The boy holds a dagger
at arm's length at the
end of a cord. He spins
about, making circles
around the girl,
withdraws and comes
nearer, until they are
face to face. Advancing
towards each other with
short steps, the boy
raises his arms to place
the dagger around the
young girl's neck as she
continues to dance.
Slowly the boy falls to
his knees in front of
her. The song continues.
THE TASKIOUINE
No doubt a warrior's
dance, since women do
not take part. Wearing
white tunics and
turbans, with powder-
horns on their
shoulders, the dancers
keep time to the
accompaniment of
earthware tambourines
covered with skins. They
dance shoulder to
shoulder or in indian
file. The body is shaken
rhythmically and stopped
suddenly with perfectly-
timed stamping of the
feet.
It is a frank, powerful
and virile dance without
any mannerism or any
equivocal gestures.
Although athletic, it is
nevertheless aesthetic.
THE GNAOUAS
African in origin, the
Gnaoua dance belongs to
brotherhood music-lore.
The tumblers of the
jemaa El Fna in
Marrakech have
transformed it into an
entertainment.
The instruments are as
primitive as ever: large
drums and wrought iron
castanets form the
orchestra. Cowrie shells
and glass beads are worn
as ornaments that recall
the dance's origin and
its magical or religious
aspect. Some of the
dancers perform leaps
worthy of the best
acrobats. They manage to
jump high in the air
without missing a beat
of the rhythm. It is a
show with great dramatic
intensity.
THE AIT ATTA
This dance resembles
somewhat the Ahwash of
Kelaa M'Gouna. A row of
women in festive dress
faces a row of men. All
the gestures of the
dancers express gaiety
and enthusiasm. The
dance marks the end of
work in the fields, when
the harvest is in and
when the winter cold of
the mountain regions
gives way to the season
of relaxation.
THE AIT BODAR
Another warrior dance
performed only by men.
Wearing white
"gandoras", they link
arms as if welded to
each other and chant
their song during a
continuous backwards and
forwards movement. The
dance appears to
symbolize the
indivisible unity that
should link the warrior
of the tribe in the face
of the enemy. The men
form an impenetrable
barrier: they are as one
man, one will be
animated by a single
rhythm.
THE AIT BOUGUEMAZ
The central figure wears
a different costume to
the rest of the troupe.
He has a pointed bonnet
covered with a strip of
white muslin and plays a
double flute. He is the
only professional in the
troupe and produces a
nasal buzzing with his
instrument which has a
striking effect while
the men and women of the
village turn in a
circle. The dance is at
times light, composed of
slides and little steps,
or more dynamic when the
performers stamp hard on
the ground. It is an
abstract dance by the
mountain folk but it has
the virility also of
warrior dances. Poems
are recited.
OULMES AND KHENIFRA
The "Ahidous" of the
Middle Atlas is a visual
enchantment performed in
its traditional purity
by men and women dancers
of the Oulmes and
Khenifra areas. Most of
the girls are very young
and very pretty. The
costume, strongly
influenced by urban
dress is in pale colors.
The men and women form a
large circle and rock to
the rhythm of "bendir"
drums. They do simple
steps, advance and
withdraw. The gestures
are discreet, full of
dignity and modesty.
Poems are recited.
THE AIT HADDIDOU
The Ait Haddidou live on
the upper plateaux of the
Assif Melloul in the High
Atlas mountains at an
altitude of 8,500 feet,
and seem to have been
subjected to no
influences to upset the
harmony of their
patriarchal existence.
The women wear
"handiras", blue cloaks
with white stripes.
Married women and widows
may wear "akidoud", a
kind of henna, in their
hair. Hefty necklaces of
yellow amber beads and
heavy silver jewels
convey an impression of
barbarian beauty. The men
wear long burnouses and
wrap their heads in
impressive turbans. The
"Ahidous" they perform is
fascinating although
static. We see here
gestures which have
resisted and triumphed
over the passage of time,
but whose significance is
lost to us for ever.
THE HOUARA
These dancers come from
Inezgane near Agadir. The
troupe is composed of a
group of men and one
woman. The men begin the
dance to a sprightly
rhythm. One or two
virtuosi leave the circle
to execute solo dance.
When the rhythm reaches
its peak, the woman
rushes to the center.
There follows a whirling
dance of great power.
Uncommon physical
strength is required to
keep up the rhythm and do
such elaborate steps. The
dance is without doubt
one of the most
spectacular in Moroccan
folklore and arouses the
enthusiasm of the
audience.
THE AHIDOUS
In the Middle Atlas
Haidous dance singers and
dancers form a large
circle with the men and
women standing
alternately shoulder to
shoulder. Sacred and
secular influences are
deeply linked in this
ceremony. To the rhythm
of tambourines, the men
and women undulate and
sing a joyful hymn.
THE GHIAYTAS
Warriors carry rifles
dance to the tune of
pipes and drums. It is
not clear whether they
are dancing to work up
courage to face the
enemy, or whether they
are celebrating a
victory. They do not sing
but shout rumbling cries
in cadence. Their rifles,
like toys, are balanced
on the head, spun at arms
length, and they pretend
to shoot with them at
invisible enemies.
Forming a circle and
turning to the rhythm of
a noisy orchestra, they
aim their weapons at the
ground, at a signal from
their leader, fire off
blank charges.
HAHA
The music is reduced to a
solo seven-hole flute
made out of a reed and
elementary in design. The
rhythm is supplied by
hand-clapping and
stamping of the feet on
the ground to give a both
powerful and enchanting
effect. Dancing
vigorously, the men
produce an ensemble that
is disciplined and
virile.
THE GUEDRA
It would take too long to
try to explain the
significance of this
dance from South Morocco
in which the attitudes
and movements have their
origin in a very ancient
symbolism. It is c~
represents some ritual
ceremony whose origins
are lost in the mists of
time.
The women dancers kneel
and are completely
covered with a black
veil. The steady rhythm
like a beating heart
brings out the hands that
describe vivid and
expressive motions. The
head is revealed, with
eyes closed, swaying like
a pendulum. The rhythm is
supplied by a "guedra" or
cooking pot (an earthware
drum covered with skin).
It becomes pulsating as
the dancers continue to
speak their mysterious
language. The singing of
the spectators changes to
brief and guttural cries.
The dancer gradually
casts off her veils and
finally collapses in a
heap.
THE OULAD SIDI
AHMED OU
MOUSSA
These acrobats belong to
the wandering brotherhood
of Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa,
the saint of Tazeroualt,
a locality of the Anti
Atlas mountains.
Originally the young
people of the area
performed these exercises
in preparation for their
role as archers and
marksmen. With the
disappearance of the
warriors, acrobatics
became an end in
themselves and a way of
earning a living.
Many people from the
Oulad Ahmed ou Moussa
work in circuses in
Europe and America. The
colorful costumes are
often embroidered and
have not changed in
centuries.
THE DEKKA (MARRAKECH)
The people who perform
this rhythmic
entertainment are not
professionals. The
strange orchestra
composed of craftsmen and
merchants of Marrakech is
made up entirely of
earthware drums of
different dimensions. The
ceremony starts with
simple and rather solemn
rhythms, and then the
cadence of hand-clapping
accelerates. High and
lower pitched beats on
the drums are cleverly
orchestrated and the men
start singing powerfully
in chorus. The rhythm
changes suddenly from
time to time, but it is
all amazingly well-
regulated. The general
impression is an
explosion of joy, a
sonorous enchantment that
seems wild but is
disciplined.
THE FANTASIA
There is one particularly
stunning and exciting
event that has taken its
rightful place among the
more noteworthy examples
of traditional folklore
in Morocco, those
demonstrations popular
customs of which Morocco
is so famous and which
stimulates tourists to
come and to see for
themselves; that even is
the Fantasia.
This colorful display of
horsemanship begins with
a procession made up of
women from the Zayaan
tribe on horseback.
Behind them come, their
menfolks in groups
according to their tribe
and bearing each group's
emblem. When this "lap of
honor" finishes, it gives
way to the real Fantasia,
the Aid el Broud
(Festival of Gunpowder)
with its gun-fire and
bursts of shots. The
horsemen line up in close
ranks, and no sooner has
one wave of riders left
than the next is ready to
follow; the impression is
that of surging waves of
galloping hooves. The
frenzied dash of horses
is accompanied by the
piercing cries of the
riders and terse orders
from their chief until
the whole thing explodes
in a blaze of gun-fire
from their famous
"moukhahla", the rifles
that are so highly prized
by gun collectors. And
when the riding is over,
then another kind of show
begins on a platform that
has been erected in front
of the huge marquees.
No show of popular
folklore is complete in
Morocco without music and
dance. The spectator is,
needless to say,
enthralled by the
diversity and richness of
costumes and music that
stretch back in time for
a thousand years.
Since September 1977, the
National Festival of
Fantasia has been held in
Meknes.